From One Degree to Another

Phil Auxier's Blog

Connect

Carson on Gospel Centered in Christian Life…

by

Justin Buzzard recently asked D.A. Carson 4 questions “about the gospel, the upcoming generation, and doing ministry in unchurched regions like the San Francisco Bay Area.” The first question is, “In a paragraph, what does it mean to be gospel-centered in one’s Christian life?” Carson’s answer:

Some think of the gospel as so slender it does nothing more than get us into the kingdom. After that the real work of transformation begins. But a biblically-faithful understanding of the gospel shows that gospel to be rich, powerful, the wisdom of God and the power of God, all we need in Christ. It is the gospel that saves us, transforms us, conforms us to Christ, prepares us for the new heaven and the new earth, establishes our relations with fellow-believers, teaches us how to work and serve so as to bring glory to God, calls forth and edifies the church, and so forth. This gospel saves — and “salvation” means more than just “getting in,” but transformed wholeness. It would be easy to write many pages on how a gospel-centered ness affects all of life, but one must begin with a full-orbed understanding of what the gospel is and does.

Check out his post for the answers to other questions.

The Week of Audio…

by

After listening to Chandler’s excellent sermon…this week I’ve also listened to:

Sinclair Ferguson kick off advent with a Lord’s Supper message on proclaiming Christ’s death until He comes again. Lots of good stuff on eschatology in this short message.

I also listened (thanks to Thabiti) to an old message from a Piper Pastor’s Conference back in 1989 from Kent Hughes related to his book Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome. It was an excellent reminder of what faithful, cross-centered ministry looks like.

Listen and be encouraged.

Update on Matt Chandler…

by

(Thanks, Benjamin!)

The Elders of The Village report:

Matt will undergo surgery Friday afternoon

Pastor Matt Chandler will have surgery Friday afternoon to remove a tumor located in the frontal lobe of his brain. The surgery will be performed by Dr. David Barnett.

Dr. Barnett told Matt that he was positive about recovery but won’t know the full results until the surgery is performed. The doctor was uncertain about the malignancy of the tumor, and a biopsy will be performed as part of the surgery.

The outpouring of support and prayers from all over the world has been overwhelming to Matt and Lauren. Continue to pray and fast on behalf of the family. The church’s monthly prayer service will be Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Highland Village, Denton and Dallas Northway worship centers. We encourage you to fast throughout that day and join us to pray that evening. If you cannot join us, pray wherever you are.

We continue to rest in the knowledge that Matt is in the sovereign hand of our heavenly Father who loves him immensely more than we can comprehend, and He alone understands the reasons for this trial. Along with your prayers, continue to give Matt and Lauren and their family time and space for their continued rest.

Pray for Matt Chandler

by

In light of my recent blog post, I thought I would pass along this request from Challies and Thabiti: Pray for Matt Chandler. Challies writes:

Keep Matt Chandler in your prayers: “I have a small mass In my frontal lobe,” Matt Chandler, lead pastor of The Village Church in Highland Village, Texas, wrote on his Twitter feed. “[I have a date] with the neurosurgeon early next week.”

Let’s lift this brother up and pray that God’s will is accomplished.

Matt Chandler at Southern Seminary…

by

I know many of you appreciate the ministry of Matt Chandler. His gifts are amazing and he consistently is used by God to bless my soul (and challenge me to holiness). This was true in a recent sermon I finally got around to listening to. Matt preached at Southern Seminary. Here’s the text, audio and video. Take time to consider his application of an amazing text for ministers.

Transferred…

by

Yesterday’s sermon, Transfer Orders, from Colossians 1:13-14 is now online. The text is simple review for those of us who have tasted and seen the Lord’s goodness in the Gospel — we are delivered from darkness to the kingdom of Jesus, receiving redemption and forgiveness. My charge to believers was, using the context, to increase in knowledge of these truths more and more and, in so doing, live a life pleasing to the Lord characterized by gratitude.

What emotions does the Father’s saving work in your produce?

Pardoned by Jesus

by

By true faith in Jesus Christ,
I am right with God
and heir to life everlasting.
Even though my conscience accuses me
of having grievously sinned against all God’s commandments
and of never having kept any of them,
and even though I am still inclined toward all evil,
nevertheless, without my deserving it at all,
out of sheer grace, God grants and credits to me
the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ,
as if I have never sinned nor been a sinner,
as if I had been as perfectly obedient
as Christ was obedient for me.
All I need to do
is accept this gift of God with a believing heart.

(from Heidelberg Catechism, questions 59-60, and taken from Christ-Centered Worship by Bryan Chapell)

BLACK Friday…

by

So there I was this morning, wrapped around a Toys R Us at Midnight to get in for a few “deals”. We have a set budget for Christmas gifts and Meg has worked all the deals to find the best bang for our buck. I could help noticing, though, as I waited 1 hour and 40 minutes to check out (not to get in…to check out) if something was a bit awry in the thinking of the average American.

Seems like someone said something about this…Jesus in Luke 12:15…

Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.

Now, lest I call the kettle black, our society does have deals available and the holiday season is overly commercialized. If we would just guard our hearts with the same diligence we guard our bank accounts looking for good deals, we would not need this warning from Jesus on covetousness.

Black Friday is called Black Friday because traditionally it was the one day of the year that sent retailers into the black for the year (meaning they would earn a profit for the year). After my experience and reading these warnings from Jesus, I tend the think of Black Friday as a great reminder of the selfish and sinful nature of my heart without the grace of God. I want to boast in Him over any other deal.

Giving Thanks …

by

Here’s a manuscript from what I said this past Sunday night at our church’s Thanksgiving Dinner…

On Sunday mornings this fall, we have begun to look at the book of Colossians. The more I steep in this book, the more the theme of thanksgiving seems to emerge.

In 1:3, Paul says “we always thank God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ when we pray for you” and continues that refrain in 1:11-12, when he told us that we please God the Father when we are “with joy giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”

In 2:7, it is as we are “rooted and built up in Jesus Christ and established in the faith, just as you were taught,” that we will be “abounding in thanksgiving.”

In Colossians 3:15-17, Paul instructs us to “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” It seems that the constant drumbeat of those who live under the supremacy of Jesus Christ are thankful hearts.

Finally, in 4:2, Paul tells them to be passionate for prayer and thanksgiving when we he says, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” We are called to be a grateful community. We’ve received so much more than we deserve. Therefore, tonight, we set aside a time to boast in the Lord and praise Him for the grace He’s shown us as a church.

What are you thankful for? What things has God done in your life this year? How could others be encouraged hearing of these things?

Some highlights for me included:
• Celebrating 5 years of marriage to my greatest gift, Meghan
• Purchasing a new home and moving out of an old one
• Watching God mature us and lead us and show His faithfulness with all the issues of water and mold in the basement
• Seeing God’s Word come alive in lives and hearts as we’ve studied Mark, Luke 15, Hosea and Colossians
• Deepening relationships I have with men and the Elders
• Traveling to conferences with men and other pastors, to Student Life Missions Camp, to visit the Stickels, to vacations
• Experiencing deep fellowship in small groups
• Sensing God’s encouragement as new ministries have emerged and new people have come our way

I’m sure there are other specific things you all have as well. What are some of those?